Dota 2: 12 New Year's Resolutions for a Happier 2015

2014 was a huge year for Dota 2 -- massive changes overhauled the entire meta, putting a stronger emphasis on kills while reducing the focus on early objectives. This significantly affected how I play Valve’s MOBA, and taught me a ton of valuable lessons, while spotlighting a lot of my flaws as a player.

So I asked my regular rotation of teammates how they’d like to improve in 2015. These are their New Year’s resolutions for Dota 2 in 2015.

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Brian Albert, Addicted to Power

I love me some hard carries. Name a Dota 2 Hero who becomes a massive threat in the later stages of the game and it's probably one of my most played characters: Medusa, Faceless Void, Spectre, and on and on and on.

These Heroes are easy to play, relatively, and that's the problem. In Dota 2, it's easy not to do stuff. What's harder is coordinating an early push with five people or striking an enemy while they're weak. That takes judgment, teamwork, excellent game sense, and a bit of luck. If I start picking Heroes who can fight early, I could secure an early victory... or I could fail and face a 45 to 60-minute uphill battle. That's a risk I'm often too nervous to take, and so I fall back on Heroes who, with enough time and gold, will crush an enemy team. It works for me, but it's not making me much better at Dota.

In 2015, I want to pick more carries who get active earlier, even if they drop off a bit in the late game. I already sort of regret typing this. What have I done? Forgive me, Spectre.

Brad Muir, Happy MASSIVE CHALICE Guy

I'm most looking forward to TI5 this year! Last year's tournament was great and I'm really interested to see what Valve does to try to top it. Hopefully the finals are a bit more interesting this time around.

As far as playing some Dota I'd like to expand my Hero pool. It was cool to settle into the offlane role for the Rektreational tournament and I really like playing that position, but I feel like I'm only competent with a few Heroes (Bristleback! Tidehunter!).

I'd also like to record some more Dota Today episodes with [Campo Santo’s Sean] Vanaman. If anyone has some free time that they're not using I know what to do with it! :D!

Katie Kasarda, Sally Mayonnaise

I really want to learn more support Heroes this year. For talking a big support game, I only know a handful of fifth position Heroes, which is problematic when maybe Vengeful Spirit isn’t the best choice for a match. Even though I usually stick to a hard carry or offlane role, it would be nice to be able to confidently fill other roles with multiple different Heroes when needed, including more jungle/micro Heroes as well. And we’ve learned that a Luna panic-pick works out less often than I’d like.

Oh, and this year, when I think I should pick Tiny, I should not pick Tiny. Just do not do it.

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J. Kartje, Grizzled Veteran

Dota is a roller coaster. I've been playing on and off for 10+ years. Crazy, I know. Games can get really intense, especially at a high level of play. One misstep late in the game and it could be all over for you and your four teammates. It's easy to get frustrated at friends or anonymous teammates who miss spells, get caught out of position, or buy the wrong items. If I was going to declare a Dota 2 New Years Resolution it would be to remember that it's just a game (and that I mess stuff up all the time too!).

I'm going to do my best to kick back and have more fun. I'm going to worry less about Kill/Death, Win/Loss Ratios, and Hero Performance Meters and just have a good time slinging spells and rolling around with my crew. Get ready for more Earth Spirit.

Secondary resolution: Claim the first Rektreational Championship for team Pit Lord Meta. We are undefeated and on to the finals. We have some secret strats planned and we're ready to rock in 2015.

Nick Hahneman, WASD Camera Wielder

I played with a fairly reliable crew of around a dozen or so people that I've become good friends with in 2014. Nothing feels better than playing effectively as a team to turn the tide of a losing game, but there are also drawbacks to always playing in a five-stack with the same group of people. You use the same strategies. People gravitate towards the same roles. You develop bad habits that go unchallenged. People are individually held less accountable and critique of my play style is generally nonexistent. While this is great for preserving friendships, it's not as effective at helping me to learn to be a more individually skilled and well-rounded player.

So for 2015 I resolve to solo queue more often where I can focus on my working on my individual skills, and to solicit and offer more specific criticisms from and to my teammates to keep us sharp.

Shawn Saris, Jack of all Trades

I spent a lot of 2014 learning to play as many Heroes as I could. I would random a lot, which is a fun way to play if you don't mind completely throwing games. I tried out new roles like support, or taking Heroes I knew and placing them in new roles on the map. I may not have learned everything I could about every hero, and Dota 2 is an ever changing game so it's tough to keep up, but going into 2015 I feel confident that when I hit the random button, there is no hero that it can toss at me that I can't manage to do okay with.

So going forward, this year I want to refine my skills beyond just the Heroes. There are a lot of things that I can improve personally, such as item management or map awareness, that goes beyond just a single hero. This is something I will forever have to work on, but this year I want to make it my focus. Oh, and more randoms.

Jayson Gegner, Fearful Farmer

90% of my time with Dota has been spent supporting. It's a noble, selfless art. One that requires awareness for both yourself & others so that they may farm their way to glory. I've spent so little time in the core, farming positions that when I'm tasked to fill those boots, I stumble. I've dulled both the killing instinct and last-hitting lust that are key to playing Dota well in service of more time spent watching for enemies or rotating for defense.

In the bright new future that is 2015, I resolve to E-I-E-I-O my way to a richer future while bloodying my knuckles with more reckless abandon than ever. 500+ gold per minute, or bust! (Give me a break, thats a lot for a support player).

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Nick Burnham, Aspiring Mid

After almost 1,000 hours since my early days of maining Treant Protector, I’m at a funny place with Dota 2. On one hand, I’ve become such a good support and offlaner that those roles have lost some of their spark. On the other hand, if I ever have to play mid or hard carry, I feel lost and must rely heavily on my teammates.

While I prefer to place wards and land Clockwerk hooks, I prefer winning even more. So this year I want to play more like Dendi or Arteezy -- the guys who can win a game on their own through bold, crazy moves. This means mastering some of the playmaking Heroes I’ve stayed away from, chiefly Kunkka, Queen of Pain, Visage, Invoker, Puck, and the elemental spirit trio. You can always go deeper into Dota 2, and I know that will keep me playing in 2015.

Mitch Dyer, Struggling Support

2014 taught me so much about Dota 2. After we competed in (and lost) The Rektreational, I found myself struggling to do really well with my position 5 support role. I know what I need to do -- roam, stay out of lane, harass, buy wards, buy wards, buy wards -- but I still find myself playing it too safe. I was ineffective in the early game, and played too many of the same Heroes. At the same time, I died too often in team fights I should have steered clear of, or avoided altogether.

In 2015, I want to die less often, gank mid for early kills more often, and learn unfamiliar support Heroes. Sorry, team. I'm going to start drafting Io this year.

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Miranda Sanchez - Baby, We Need To Talk

Dazzle, Jakiro, Lechrac, and Mirana, I love you all. I really do, but it’s time for me to play new roles and new Heroes. In 2014 I fell into an endless cycle of playing the same four Heroes and I hardly ever deviated from playing support. Sure I learned how to land some awesome arrows and ice paths, but I want to be more than just a great support. While it pains me to see people ward incorrectly, it’s time for me to let others take on the support role.

This year I’m going to focus on learning new mid and offlane Heroes and I’d like to get better at ganking. Maybe I'll even hit the jungle. For the cubs!

refleksy, inept Youtube guy

My resolutions are two-fold, because at the very end of 2014 I had one of the few things that may be more important than Dota: A daughter.

My 1st resolution for 2015 is to better prioritize my gaming time with baby time in order to still put out YouTube content at a much faster rate!

My 2nd resolution is to better recognize the efforts of those around me, both in-game and out. I'm incredibly lucky to play Dota 2 with remarkably skilled and talented people, and I could probably count on one hand the times I've let myself nerd out and tell them how big of a fan I am of them and their work.

Crispy, Courier Assassin and Co-Host of Giant Bomb's Daily Dota

Dota 2 is an exceedingly easy game. For one reason or another, it has a bit of a reputation for being inaccessible, but when all's said and done, the objective is quite simple: destroy the enemy Ancient. The most common misconception that most players have is that, in order to win, one must gain levels, farm items, and have overall map awareness. Bah! 2015 is the year in which I will definitively prove that a match of Dota can be completed in under 10 minutes!

I should specify that I don't consider the premature exodus of a demoralized team a victory. I want the satisfaction of crushing the enemy Ancient into the gaping maws of Hell -- or, if in the Radiant base, the grass. Truth be told, I've accomplished a similar feat in the past with my good friend, refleksy, and several people from the GD Studio, but that took a nigh unbearable 14 minutes; double-digit game timers are so 2000-and-late!

2015 is the year of my Dota 2 speed run. Let's break this damn game.

Disclaimer: Crispy is a trained Dota stuntman and professional. Do not try this at home.